CaGBC and GBCI launch joint venture in green building certification

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Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) and the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) have announced that a joint venture – GBCI Canada – has launched. GBCI Canada was formed to accelerate green building market transformation and impact in Canada, which is the second largest market for LEED outside of the United States. GBCI Canada enables the Canadian industry to leverage new opportunities to validate enhanced building performance and increase emissions reductions, operational savings and human health benefits.

After the United States, Canada is the second largest LEED AP market in the world. Photo by Chris Tyler via Wikimedia Commons.

GBCI Canada exclusively administers project certifications within the framework of the LEED green building rating systems, as well as the WELL Building Standard, the Sustainable SITES Initiative (SITES) for land use, Parksmart for parking structures, TRUE Zero Waste, Investor Confidence Project (ICP) for energy efficiency retrofits, and the GRESB benchmark, which is used by institutional investors to improve the sustainability performance of the global property sector. The new organization will be led by CaGBC President and CEO Thomas Mueller, who will manage both organizations to ensure seamless integration

“The emergence of Canada’s low-carbon economy has greatly accelerated progress toward achieving CaGBC’s longstanding mission of mass market transformation,” says Thomas Mueller, President & CEO, GBCI Canada and CaGBC. “With over a decade of LEED experience, the Canadian industry is well positioned to work toward more energy efficient and low-carbon buildings, as well as health and wellness, and zero waste goals. GBCI Canada has been established to support industry efforts to scale-up by providing expert service and online delivery platforms for a broader suite of complementary green building standards.”

“GBCI Canada’s charge is to accelerate green building and business market transformation,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, President and CEO, GBCI. “CaGBC has been a leader in the global green building movement. With this new venture, we will be able to take it to the next level with additional GBCI programs that can help the Canadian market realize the economic and environmental benefits associated with green building, as well as improve quality of life for residents.”

GBCI’s mission is to recognize excellence in sustainability performance and practice globally and drive adoption of green business practices. GBCI is charged with creating markets, building capacity and delivering value to local stakeholders. Based in the U.S., GBCI has local offices in India, China, Brazil, Mexico and now Canada.

“GBCI Canada will go deeper into the Canadian market to deliver and execute on GBCI and CaGBC’s collective mission. It is about local and regional support, while helping implement the global vision of strategic execution. By going into markets more broadly, we can work closely with our customers and help them implement their sustainability goals and aspirations,” added Ramanujam.

Nellie Cheng will also join the organization as its Managing Director. Cheng brings three decades of experience, including working with GBCI, the World Green Building Council and the Vancouver Economic Development Commission.

CaGBC will continue to engage and support the Canadian green building industry, its members and stakeholders through education and training, advocacy and research, business events, and a range of other activities. It will also continue to provide certification reviews and market support for LEED Canada, and to deliver and support its new Zero Carbon Building Standa